In a first, PBS, NADRA strike deal for digital census software development

• Contract to enable PBS ensure population data collection and compilation with precision and accuracy.
• NADRA to provide software and tablets for upcoming 7th Digital Population and Housing Census.
• Software provided by NADRA to be comprehensive application for household listing and enumeration.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of census software and tablet provision at the National Census Coordination Centre (N3C), PBS Head office.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, who attended the ceremony as the chief guest, unveiled the logo of 7th Digital Population and Housing Census.

Representatives from collaborating partners like NADRA, National Telecom Corporation, Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), delegates from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and officers from PBS were also present at the occasion.

Chief Statistician Dr Naeem uz Zafar welcomed the guests and informed them that NADRA will provide software and tablets for the upcoming census.

The software is being developed after detailed information sharing and extensive consultations between PBS and NADRA. Software development is a major milestone that is almost mature and the census software that will be provided by NADRA has 16 modules.

He also delivered a brief presentation on the census process and the mechanism of monitoring census activities and the confidence-building of stakeholders.

NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik considered it to be an honour for his organisation to be a collaborating partner in a national activity like the census.

He announced that the software provided by NADRA will be a comprehensive application for household listing and enumeration, and will be linked with GPS control. It will ensure data security and NADRA will also provide 24 hours technical help during the census exercise. After successful execution of a pilot census, the scope will be extended to full enumeration.

Chief Statistician Dr Naeem uz Zafar and NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik signed the MoU.

Ahsan Iqbal said that both PBS and NADRA are important organisations as PBS collects data for the development of the country and NADRA maintains a comprehensive automated registration system for the country.

The census is an important activity linked with resource allocation, delimitation and policy making, he said, adding that digitisation will increase transparency but digital technology is dependent on software capacity.

In the end, he hoped that PBS will timely provide census results to Election Commission of Pakistan for delimitation of boundaries.

He said that the census is a difficult task that cannot be completed without extensive hard work. The efforts of everyone who take part in it are appreciable, especially the enumerators who are involved in the data collection process, he added.